Ralph Barker Titles

This accessible text tells the story of the most star-studded of fighter squadrons, the RFC, and its part in all the major battles of World War I, from Bloody April 1917, when the squadrons suffered enormous casualties, through Third Ypres and Passchendaele to the chaotic retreat from Ludendorff's offensive. Drawing extensively from letters and diaries of the men who took part, Ralph Barker creates a bird's eye view of the battleground from the menacing skies above France and brings fresh off the page the exhiliration of combat, the debility of the "shakes", the grit of observers and gunners, the strain of low-level flying, the bonding of pilot and ground mechanic, and the awareness of tragedy as brave men gave their lives.

'Ralph Barker has written a masterly anecdotal history of the flying war over France, and the courageous 'bird-men', who gave such dedicated support to the regiments deadlocked in the trenches beneath them' - Daily Telegraph

Born in 1917 and educated at Hounslow College, Ralph joined the editorial staff of Sporting Life in 1934, but later went into banking. Meanwhile, he had begun writing, and several of his sketches and scenes were produced in West End Revue.

Ralph joined the RAF in 1940 as a wireless operator/air-gunner and progressed his military career until 1961 when he retired voluntarily from the RAF to write full time. He was a frequent contributor of feature stories to the Sunday Express.

STORIES OF ENDURANCE

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When the passenger liner City of Benares sailed from Liverpool on Friday, 13 September 1940, she was carrying 90 evacuee children from the bombed cities of Britain, bound under a government-sponsored scheme for a safe haven in Canada. Her sinking by U-boat four days later, without warning, in total disregard of the plight of survivors and in defiance of international law, shocked and horrified the civilised world.

This true story of a hijacking and hostages. A disturbing fact-filled book of extreme human experience.

In late 1942 the elderly Ellerman Line steamer City of Cairo was on a voyage from Capetown to Brazil when seven days into the Atlantic crossing the ship was sunk by a U-Boat. There were 300 persons, including women and children and crew aboard.

The heart-rending true story of the 1957 expedition to Haramosh Peak in the Karakoram range in Pakistan.

Twelve superb sea stories and examples of man's eternal struggle with the sea.

Among those who fought in the ferocious battles for the skies during the Second World War, some - shot down, or forced to ditch - had to confront an exceptionally pitiless enemy: the sea.

Ten remarkable true accounts of unusual incidents and happenings to Bomber Command aircrew during World War Two.

All these stories are eloquent of devotion and endurance...all are moving. They are told graphically without sensationalism. (Times Literary Supplement)

Tales of Supreme Bravery (Daily Telegraph)

Military History

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An overview of British aerial operations in World War II.

The story of the daring RAF pilots who flew low-level torpedo attacks against German battleships in World War II.

'Ralph Barker has written a masterly anecdotal history of the flying war over France, and the courageous 'bird-men', who gave such dedicated support to the regiments deadlocked in the trenches beneath them' - Daily Telegraph

A thoroughly-researched account of this little known aspect of Second World War Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm operations.

The story of how George Binney, a 39 year-old civilian working in neutral Sweden set about running vital cargoes of Swedish ball-bearings and special steels to Britain through the blockaded Skagerrak.

One of the greatest sea stories of World War II

Among those who fought in the ferocious battles for the skies during the Second World War, some - shot down, or forced to ditch - had to confront an exceptionally pitiless enemy: the sea.

Ten remarkable true accounts of unusual incidents and happenings to Bomber Command aircrew during World War Two.

Fifteen "dramas of the air"

There can be nothing more poignant than a sequence of events which gives some occupants of an aircraft a chance of escape and others none.

The story of the first large scale bombing in history, the R.A.F.'s firebombing of Cologne, Germany in 1942.

All these stories are eloquent of devotion and endurance...all are moving. They are told graphically without sensationalism. (Times Literary Supplement)

Tales of Supreme Bravery (Daily Telegraph)

Ralph Barker has unearthed twelve untold or little-known but unforgettable stories of men whose names may be unfamiliar but without whose selfless tenacity Britain would not have survived.

Aviation History

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Sidney Cotton was an audacious man - aviator, spy, businessman, gun runner and more. He was at the forefront of photo-reconnaissance before and during WW2.

'In seeking to establish the facts and unravel the secrets of these and other famous air mysteries, Ralph Barker brings outstanding gifts of graphic description to a subject of compelling power' - The Aeroplane.

An overview of British aerial operations in World War II.

The story of the daring RAF pilots who flew low-level torpedo attacks against German battleships in World War II.

'Ralph Barker has written a masterly anecdotal history of the flying war over France, and the courageous 'bird-men', who gave such dedicated support to the regiments deadlocked in the trenches beneath them' - Daily Telegraph

The Story of Bill Lancaster and Chubbie Miller.

Previously published as Verdict On A Lost Flyer

The story of how George Binney, a 39 year-old civilian working in neutral Sweden set about running vital cargoes of Swedish ball-bearings and special steels to Britain through the blockaded Skagerrak.

One of the greatest sea stories of World War II

Among those who fought in the ferocious battles for the skies during the Second World War, some - shot down, or forced to ditch - had to confront an exceptionally pitiless enemy: the sea.

Ten remarkable true accounts of unusual incidents and happenings to Bomber Command aircrew during World War Two.

Fifteen "dramas of the air"

There can be nothing more poignant than a sequence of events which gives some occupants of an aircraft a chance of escape and others none.

The story of the first large scale bombing in history, the R.A.F.'s firebombing of Cologne, Germany in 1942.

An excellent account by Barker of The Schneider Trophy Races

This iconic race for seaplanes and flying boats was significant in advancing aeroplane design, particularly in the fields of aerodynamics and engine design, and would show its results in the best fighters of World War II

All these stories are eloquent of devotion and endurance...all are moving. They are told graphically without sensationalism. (Times Literary Supplement)